familypediawikiaorg-20200214-history
Genesee County, New York
Genesee County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2000 census, the population was 60,370. Its name is from a Seneca Indian word meaning "good valley." Its county seat is Batavia. History When counties were established in New York State in 1683, the present Genesee County was part of Albany County. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. This county was reduced in size on July 3, 1766 by the creation of Cumberland County, and further on March 16, 1770 by the creation of Gloucester County, both containing territory now in Vermont. On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one remaining under the name Albany County. One of the other pieces, Tryon County, contained the western portion (and thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately five miles west of the present city of Schenectady, and the county included the western part of the Adirondack Mountains and the area west of the West Branch of the Delaware River. The area then designated as Tryon County now includes 37 counties of New York State. The county was named for William Tryon, colonial governor of New York. In the years prior to 1776, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to Canada. In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War, the name of Tryon County was changed to Montgomery County in order to honor the general, Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of Quebec, replacing the name of the hated British governor. In 1789, Ontario County was split off from Montgomery. All of the land of present day Genesee County was part of the ''Holland Land Purchase'' in 1793 and was sold through the Holland Land Company's office in Batavia, starting in 1801. Genesee County was created by a splitting of Ontario County in 1802. This was much larger than the present Genesee County, however. In 1806, Allegany County was created from Genesee County. In 1808, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara Counties were created from Genesee County. Niagara County at that time also included the present Erie County. In 1821, portions of Genesee County were combined with portions of Ontario County to create Livingston and Monroe Counties. In 1824, Orleans County was created from Genesee County. In 1841, Wyoming County was created from Genesee County. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,283 km² (495 sq mi). 1,280 km² (494 sq mi) of it is land and 3 km² (1 sq mi) of it (0.25%) is water. Genesee County is in the western portion of the state, east of Buffalo and southwest of Rochester. Tonawanda Creek and Oatka Creek flow through the town. Adjacent Counties *Orleans County - north *Monroe County - east *Livingston County - southeast *Wyoming County - south *Erie County - west *Niagara County - northwest Demographics As of the census² of 2000, there were 60,370 people, 22,770 households, and 15,825 families residing in the county. The population density was 47/km² (122/sq mi). There were 24,190 housing units at an average density of 19/km² (49/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 94.69% White, 2.13% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.71% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. 1.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.0% were of German, 15.2% Italian, 13.5% English, 13.1% Irish, 8.9% Polish and 5.6% American ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 22,770 households out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.10. In the county the population was spread out with 26.10% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,542, and the median income for a family was $47,771. Males had a median income of $34,430 versus $23,788 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,498. About 5.60% of families and 7.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.00% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over. Cities, towns, and villages *Alabama (town) *Alexander (village) *Alexander (town) *Attica (village) with [[Wyoming County, New York|Wyoming County]] *Batavia (city) *Batavia (town) *Bergen (village) *Bergen (town) *Bethany (town) *Byron (town) *Corfu (village) *Darien (town) *Elba (village) *Elba (town) *Indian Falls (hamlet) *Le Roy (village) *Le Roy (town) *Oakfield (village) *Oakfield (town) *Pavilion (town) *Pembroke (town) *Stafford (town) * Label in parentheses indicates official governmental level. Indian reservations * Tonawanda Reservation Federal and state lands *Darien Lakes State Park *Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge *Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area *Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area Educational institutions The county has 8 public school districts: * Alexander Central School District * Batavia City School District * Byron-Bergen Central School District * Elba Central School District * LeRoy Central School District * Oakfield-Alabama Central School District * Pavilion Central School District * Pembroke Central School District Several private schools at the primary and secondary levels are also maintained: * St. Joseph Elementary School, Batavia, NY * Notre Dame High School, Batavia, NY * St. Paul Lutheran School, Batavia, NY * Mary's Grace School, Batavia, NY * Genesee Christian Academy, Batavia, NY * Holy Family School, LeRoy, NY Genesee Community College has its main campus in the Town of Batavia. External links * Genesee County webpage * * Genesee County Chamber of Commerce website, includes tourist and area information * Local history source * Genesee County Wind Turbine Information * 504 Biographies from Genesee County * Genesee County Histories * Museum Dedicated to the History of Genesee County, NY Category:Genesee County, New York Category:Established in 1802